Innovation

House of Monkeys Café aims to promote healthy lifestyle culture to their customers through delicious and nutritious food. With the continuous growth of consumer interest in the ketogenic diet, the restaurant offers various health-focused meals that highlight low-carb and high-fat content that benefits an individual’s weight loss, increased energy levels, and overall well-being.

To aid your body in using fat for energy, the ketogenic diet calls for ingesting extremely few carbohydrates and substituting fat for them. They create and innovate meals by substituting ingredients to make them healthier without sacrificing their taste. Moreover, the said restaurant is also committed to educating and inspiring the community about the positive benefits of a ketogenic diet, promoting healthy eating and lifestyle culture among the people, and making it more accessible and enjoyable at the same time. They utilize social media to share insightful details of their dishes to inform customers about their benefits. Some of the dishes they offer are Premium Keto Burger, Keto Chocolate and Red Velvet cakes, and Keto Pizza which have low carbohydrates.

“I believe that everyone deserves the chance to enjoy delicious, nutritious food, and that's what we strive to provide at the House of Monkeys Cafe.”

House of Monkeys Café’s vision and goals are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining to Good Health and Well-Being and Partnerships for the Goals. The business' innovative approach addresses the continuous increase of people with health problems and unhealthy food dishes circulating in the market. Thus, the action of the restaurant is to educate and make these healthy meals accessible to the community. Partnering with other local farmers and small businesses for their ingredients is another way the café is building and strengthening relationships for sustainable development.

Mr. Carlo Hubo, founder of House of Monkeys Café, emphasizes what they are aiming for with his business, stating, “Our ultimate goal is to redefine the perception of keto cuisine by offering a menu that not only adheres to the principles of the ketogenic diet but also delivers exceptional taste and culinary creativity.”

House of Monkeys Cafe is aiming to redefine the perception of many towards ketogenic dining in the Philippines.

Inspiration

House of Monkeys Cafe was inspired by his journey to promote a healthy lifestyle by introducing ketogenic meals to people. His years of struggle dealing with health problems made him realize that the keto diet would be a game-changer, "I saw dramatic improvements not only in my weight, but in my overall health, energy, and well-being." His unhealthy eating habits caused by his work led to obesity and illness, which became a wake-up call to him. It took a great toll on his well-being and health, making him realize to turn his life around by adopting the ketogenic lifestyle. Mr. Hubo's desire to spread this culture was deepened because of their experiences caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. They even used this as a motivation to continue to be committed to their mission to keep believing in the importance of providing healthy and keto-friendly dishes during this challenging time.

This inspiration made him build the House of Monkeys Café to encourage people and create a warm and welcoming environment where everyone could enjoy nourishing and satisfying dishes without sacrificing their healthy diet goals.

"I believe in the power of food to bring people together and create memorable experiences."

The name "House of Monkeys" came from his fascination with monkeys and their fun, agile, and community symbolization. Moreover, he mentioned that monkeys are intelligent social creatures. Thus, he wanted a place where people gathered to share ideas, socialize and enjoy meals. The café's location turned out to be the perfect area as it is a business district where individuals are often busy and have no time and resources to prepare healthy meals. He believed that House of Monkeys could provide healthy eating options to people around the community.

Overall impact

"My Passion for Health and Wellness is a significant Driving Force."

House of Monkeys Café is committed to significantly impacting society, especially for individuals seeking a healthier lifestyle. Nowadays, people experience different illnesses and sicknesses due to their unhealthy habits about the food they consume. And this is one of the issues that the café wants to address. Mr. Hubo stated below the significant impacts House of Monkeys aims to achieve.

1. "We want to show people that health and pleasure can coexist in food."

With the help of the café, they will make it easier for the people in the community to be committed to their healthy diets without regret or sacrificing the taste and satisfaction by providing delicious and health-focused ketogenic meals. He aims to remove the obstacle of eating out while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

2. "We're dedicated to educating our customers about the benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle."

The business wants to help people make better food decisions by offering them tools and knowledge. Workshops, educational resources available at the café, and informal conversations with their knowledgeable staff might all be used to do this.

3. "We are supporting local agriculture and small businesses…"

The ingredients used in their various dishes are bought locally, thus, contributing to a sustainable local economy. Mr. Hubo believed that it might create a ripple effect in society through job creation, livelihood support, and promoting of sustainable farming practices.

4. "We envision House of Monkeys Cafe as a hub of wellness."

The café intends to encourage a community-wide focus on wellness by supporting good food and lifestyle choices. This might result in a decline in the prevalence of obesity and related disorders and a general improvement in the standard of living for people in our neighborhood.

By aiming to expand the business nationwide in the following three years, House of Monkeys hopes to increase these positive impacts and perhaps improve the health and well-being of thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos.

"Today, House of Monkeys Café is a testament to this journey, and a symbol of perseverance, adaptability, and a genuine commitment to health and well-being."

Business benefit

For two years of operation, Mr. Hubo believed they inspired many to start their healthy lifestyle and set themselves apart from other restaurants. Moreover, they are also aiming to expand for the next three years. This expansion aligns with their mission to improve the dining experience and motivate people around the nation to adopt healthier lifestyles. As they seek to realize their vision of national prominence in the keto restaurant sector, House of Monkeys is dedicated to continual innovation, improvement, and exceeding our customers’ expectations.

Mr. Hubo believes what sets them apart among the different restaurants is they have a Research and Development department wherein they innovate and explore various dishes. The business aims to reach a wide range of individuals with other preferences and make every meal delectable without sacrificing the nutrient contents.

The café supported and partnered with local farmers and small businesses for the ingredients, which addresses SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Mr. Hubo says that through this, they can contribute to the continuous sustainability of the local economy.

“I embrace each obstacle as a chance to refine strategies, improve operations, and find innovative solutions.”

The business is also experiencing difficulties in its operations. However, the mindset of Mr. Hubo viewed these as an opportunity for them to grow and learn, and resilience and determination are the qualities that motivate him to move forward.

Social and environmental benefit

The introduction of the innovation of the House of Monkeys to the people brings a significant impact on both society and the environment. As mentioned earlier, the business is determined to help others see the benefits of the ketogenic diet, just like what Mr Hubo did. He wanted to spread and promote the culture of a healthier lifestyle and make it more accessible and enjoyable. This addresses SDG 3 (Good health and well-being). Moreover, their dedication to educating and spreading accurate information related to what they are promoting is already seen in their social media posts, informing the people about the benefits they may gain through patronizing their products, thus, becoming the hub of health and wellness where people can enjoy and learn about healthier choices. This innovation will be their guide to see a new perspective, be conscious of what they eat, and create a new mindset on how important diet is today.

Environmentally, through House of Monkeys continuously educating the community, people will start to appreciate the resources that the environment provides and begin to be conscious of their food choices. Therefore, they will look for ingredients (vegetables and fruits) that local farmers and small businesses offer today. Moreover, the business support different environmental-related initiatives that made them apply them in their restaurant. One of these is they used alternative renewable energy sources in their deliveries. They aim to transition from using Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EV) to reduce their carbon footprint. With the help as well of their employees, there are policies within their restaurant to observe proper trash segregation. And also, a planned tree planting initiative will be conducted to become an annual activity.

Interview

Carlo Hubo, CEO